No regrets.

In my quest to come out of my shell (and get out of this house) a little, I've met some very interesting and wonderful people lately. I've learned a bit from each one, and hope to continue to learn more as our relationships develop and continue. One thing that stands out in my mind, though, is the phrase "no regrets." Someone recently sent me the image below, and I can't tell you how many times I've thought of it lately as I've tried to push myself out of my comfort zone. No doubt about it, these are words to live by.

Along the same token, I've been thinking about chances. First chances, second chances, and most importantly, missed chances. Have you ever encountered a fork in the road, and knowingly picked the wrong path because it was easy? I'm sure we all have. You never know how those decisions, no matter how insignificant they seem at the time, might change your entire life. Recently it was brought to my attention that if I had spoken up, and made different choices, WAY back when I was 19, my life would probably be vastly different now. Sure, I'm happy, and even though it's hard, I have a wonderful life. I have great kids, a fun business doing what I love, a great family and great friends, but facing a missed chance like that has opened my eyes to the fact that we only live once (yeah, yeah, I know it's a cliche), and you might not get these chances again. I am determined from here on out to take these chances as they're presented, and not let fear of change (or the unknown) cause me to miss out on what could be greatest experience of my life. As Tom Petty said, "It's so painful when something that's so close, is still so far out of reach." I don't want to feel that pain again, and the only way to do that is to stop being afraid, take some chances, and go after what I know is right.

...and now more about running!

I'm still at it! I had been having some pain recently, so I went to Fleet Feet Sports in Winston Salem on Memorial Day and got fitted for some new running shoes. They weren't cheap, but they sure are worth it! They're also cute, but I would have bought the ugliest shoes on the planet if they had fit properly on my narrow little heels.

Behold: The Brooks Ghost 5

I had a lot on my mind today, so I set out on a short walk/run to try to clear my head. I downloaded Spotify Premium so I could make my own playlist, set the songs I wanted to hear, set my Nike+ app for 15 minutes (I ended up going for 25), and set out. Today, since I needed to push myself, I also took hand weights with me. I did part of it running, and part of it power walking, on hills, with weights. If my arms and my glutes aren't sore tomorrow, then I'm doing something wrong, because I pushed it hard today! CMR is coming up fast (only a month and a half away), and I am determined to be ready!

Happily, and without regrets (except that one...),
Amanda <3